Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-03-26
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON. March 21st. 1Ss

Breaks in the Cabinet, the still
headless Treasury Department.
Speaker Carlisle's refusal of that
portfolio, the incompleted Inter State
Commerce Commission, and the dan.
gerous illness of the new Recorder
of Deeds, Mr.. Trotter, are some of
the things that have happened aud
been talked about at the Capital
during the past week.
On Friday the President celebra.
ted his fiftieth birthday in a VERY
quiet manner. He received birth.
day cards and floral tributes and
congratulations in great quantities,
but he attended to his official duties
in the morning and received the
usual concourse OF people IN the East
Room at one o'clock. In the evening
he went to the theatre unaccompan.
led by Mrs. Cleveland, who is in
mourning now for her grandmother.
The habit of duplicating pay &C.
counts by army officers has received
a fresh impulse and is becoming cpl.
demic. The latest accession to the
ranks of military financial crooks is
Lieut.. Wilcox, 9TH cavalry, who was
arrested in st. Louis, and sent to
Fort Smelling to be contaminated.
This makes five army officers who
have gone wrong within the past
year. All these cases occurred west
ofthe Mississippi. The practical de-
sertion of five officers makes even a
worse showing than the annual deser.
ton of s per cent. OF the enlisted
men of the army, for the latter are
compelled to serve six months with
ont pay.
The bringing of a country lawyer
from Wisconsin to be chief clerk of
the Post Office Department illustra.
ted the civil service reform farce as
it is now played. If the competitive
examination system is worth any
thing, its fruits must be the develop
ment from within the departments
OF the best men for chief clerkships
and other places where the most
perfect knowledge of the business of
the bureaux is required. An officer
brought in from outside the depart.
nent is necessarily for long time
mere figure head, who is compelled
to depend upon the skill, experience
aud fidelity OF his subordinates.
In tue notable educationl conveu.
ton held here during the past week,
which was attended by the superln
tendents and many teachers from all
parts of the country, one of the prom
IneDt educators said, in the study Of
the question of civil service reform
be had been struck with its applica.
ton to the public school system.
The spoils system, of which so much
was said in politics had made its APP
pearance in the schools. Places on
the boards of education were sought
for the money in them. If lt were
the purchase OF u site, the selection
Of a plan, or the giving OF "A contract
it was not the most suitable site, or
the best plan or the most advanta.
geous contract that controlled the
selection, but the per cent. the
members of the board were to get
from the transaction.
Washington is to have new insti-
tuition, namely a bureau of informa-
tion, which will make it a business,
for q moderate fee, to answer all
questions that may be sent to it
literary, scientific, departmental, po-
litical, etc. In this it's people are
to be congratulated, as well as mem.
bers of Congress. The latter Justly
complain that their time is contin.
ually taken up in looking after trif.
fling matters for their constituents,
and citizens are constantly applied to
by acquaintances in different parts
of the country for information obtain.
able here. Such a bureau here could
perform a great and useful service to
the people throughout the country,
for the National Capital possesses
unequaled sources of knowledge.
This reminds me of the sorrows of
United Stats consul at one Of the
South American ports, who has been
pouring out his heart by letter to a
friend in this city. In the first place
he SAID he was not allowed to keep
clerk, yet almost every mail
brought letters without stamps for
return postage) asking for informa'
ton. There were letters wanting 70
know about that country and letters
from naval officers requesting differ.
ent commissions. A merchant
writes to get the commercial stand
ing of various parties, and Others
write for "A complete list of the bust
uess houses in Brazil. One man
writes to inquire az to the will OF
some Que who might have died in The
Argentine Republic or Uruguay
about the year 1870. although it
might have been earlier or later than
that.
The poor man thinks the consuTs
life is any thing but a happy one
aud says he will be obliged to resign
soon unless the Government does
something for his relief. He says
he tries to answer each commuuica.
tion to the best OF his ability. II his
answers please, he gets no thanks.
Ii they do not he gets abuse and
threats for not attending to the
writer's business.
BRIDGEPORT, Or, March 22.-